Friday, July 18, 2008

Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos appeared last night on the state news program Capital Tonight.

He was asked the question

"What would the State Senate look like...we talked about the fact that the leaders would come from New York City...what are some of the issues that you believe would rise to the top of their priority list."

His response focused on state aid for education, which would undoubtedly shift toward New York City and anyone who wanted to debate that to the contrary should look no further than Campaign for Fiscal Equality or CFE. Advocates in New York City resent more funding for upstate schools.

"Meanwhile the state Senate Majority used all their chits to drive a boatload of money to politically well-healed downstate suburban districts. Sadly many upstate Senators barely lifted a finger to add additional foundation aid for their own districts.”

There is a bit of disappointment in Senator Skelos' answer, time constraints in an interview are difficult, but he did not go far enough in his answer. There is such a difference between the Senate Democratic Minority conference and the Republican conference in governing New York State and there is a real need for a system of check and balance in governing. Pay close attention; read or listen to what the Senate Democrats say such as their leader Malcolm Smith.

A suggestion for Senator Skelos, govern from the center; fiscally conservative, the state needs to go in that direction given the economy and some social moderation is not a bad thing, but buyer beware of a Democratic Majority in the Senate, they will govern New York State way left of center.

5 comments:

Anonymous
said...

"His response focused on state aid for education, which would undoubtedly shift toward New York City and anyone who wanted to debate that to the contrary should look no further than Campaign for Fiscal Equality or CFE. Advocates in New York City resent more funding for upstate schools."

This is an ABSOLUTE LIE SCOTT GRAY! It is Upstate AND NYC who got the shaft when Skelos and his Long Island Republicans BROKE the education share program the rest of the state relies on. Long Island got $600 million MORE than any other region of the state.

A simple google search turns up that fact...not that you're big on the facts.

Anon 12:10 -- you've got to dig deeper to get to the facts. Ex-Gov Spitzer proposed $1 million MORE than we got in the end.

Overall, aid to education was increased by $400 million and virtually every district saw increases above Client 9's proposal (which also included all kinds of aid shifts, mandates and other assorted nasty stuff that would have screwed Upstate in particular.

Unlike these other districts, though, the 48th took a hit from hot-pants Spitzer's plan.

That ads up to ineffective representation by our ONLY elected state rep (remember we don't have a majority representative in EITHER the Assembly or Senate, thanks to Darrel.

By the way: "it's a matter of checks and balances" isn't a credible reason to keep the Senate Republican. The GOP has instituted no balances on anything, least of all spending habits. Their borrow-and-spend policies are heinous...lots of checks....no balances.